The cover story in the January 2011 issue of GrowerTalks magazine discusses the threat and what Ball Horticultural Company and Sygenta are doing about it. GrowerTalks reports that downy mildew appeared in 2011 on the East coast, the Midwest and California.
Please be aware that this disease is specific to impatiens and only affects Impatiens walleriana and hybrids in that bloodline. Further, the disease is not seed transmitted, so plants started from seed should not be impacted.
For more information:
Thanks to Todd Link of Landscape Link, LLC in Decatur, GA for the tip and to Mike Minor at Saul Nurseries in Atlanta, GA for information on the story.
]]>
The Internet has done much to further communication at ultra high speeds. It has also created a new generation of self-described citizen journalists bent on exposing the ills of society the way they do on prime time television. Unfortunately, many of these online watchdogs lack the education and training of their offline counterparts and that can lead to potential issues on a variety of levels.
Take the case of Crystal Cox, a law blogger from Oregon who recently found herself in the midst of a lawsuit in which she represented herself against Obsidian Finance Group, an investment firm about which she had been highly critical across several blogs. The evidence in the January defamation suit was whittled down to a single blog post in which a judge found proof of defamation. That’s when things got interesting and important to anyone who writes a blog.
Cox told the court that her blog was more factual than it appeared, and that she had an inside source who provided her with the information she used in the post. Using Oregon’s media shield law (Oregon is one of 40 states that have one) she refused to name her informant. The judge wasn’t as understanding as she might have hoped.
The state’s media shield law says, in part:
No person connected with, employed by or engaged in any medium of communication to the public shall be required by … a judicial officer … to disclose, by subpoena or otherwise … [t]he source of any published or unpublished information obtained by the person in the course of gathering, receiving or processing information for any medium of communication to the public[.]
source: O.R.S. 44.510 – 44.540
Unfortunately for Crystal Cox, the judge’s interpretation of that law and of her body of work left things in uncharted territory. The judge ruled that because Cox is not affiliated with a news outlet, she is not covered by the law:
First, although defendant is a self-proclaimed “investigative blogger” and defines herself as “media,” the record fails to show that she is affiliated with any newspaper, magazine, periodical, book, pamphlet,news service, wire service, news or feature syndicate, broadcast station or network, or cable television system. Thus, she is not entitled to the protections of the law in the first instance.
Judge Marco A. Hernandez further pointed out that even if Cox was covered as mentioned above, the case would not apply because the Oregon statute specifically excludes cases in which a defense is based on the content or source of allegedly defamatory information.
Cox was found guilty and given a judgment of $2.5 Million. She plans to appeal and to continue to represent herself.
The author of Washington’s shield law has weighed in on the topic, stating that the case would have played out differently in the state’s court, largely due to the fact that the Oregon law was written before blogging was considered.
It looks like Cox may have grounds for a successful appeal of this case which could pave the way for clarification of a law that apparently needed an update. What do you think?
More information:
]]>
Welcome to GrowWrite! Now, the complementary blog to the upcoming debut of GrowWrite! Magazine for garden writers and communicators.
You might be wondering what this site is all about and while there is no short answer, rest assured that if it is relevant to garden writers and communicators, you will find it here. As the name implies, GrowWrite! Now is your source for the latest tips, tools, tricks and trends, small business information, news and commentary that you won’t find anywhere else. The magazine will be packed with useful information every month, and the website will be packed with even more great content that we didn’t have room for before press time.
The first issue of GrowWrite! Magazine will be published in January, but in the meantime we wanted to get the website off the ground beforehand to whet your appetite just a bit. In the meantime, feel free to join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions please let us know.
]]>